


Design vs. Development

by AmateurArtist



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Angst, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Early Childhood Development, Fluff, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Misdiagnosis, Protective Siblings, Trust Issues, Yakko is a good older brother, possible trigger warnings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27900532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmateurArtist/pseuds/AmateurArtist
Summary: Nature vs. Nurture; a question that has afflicted and will continue to afflict all of humanity. But where does that leave Toons?  If their creators can’t figure out such a concept, how could a Toon ever hope to do so?Yakko looks towards his sleeping siblings from across the water tower.His Design dictated that he was a silly, 14-year-old who ran around causing mayhem with his two younger sibs, but sometimes Yakko didn’t feel like his Design matched him anymore.  The eldest Warner shook his head.‘There’s no use getting conspiratorial,’ He thought to himself. After all, he is a character that was Designed without Development.
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner
Comments: 18
Kudos: 254





	1. New Introductions

Chapter 1: New Introductions

* * *

Dr. Scratchansniff gave a deep sigh as he stood outside of the opening to the Warner Brothers' water tower. He was still trying to decide how to tell the kids the news. He raised his fist to rap at the door but paused, his confidence wavering.

“That’s the 16th time you’ve failed to knock at our door, Scratchy.”

The doctor gave an unbecoming squeal and spun to face the three Warners sitting on the catwalk railing.

“You kids are going to give me a heart attack one of these days,” His voice was out of breath and the stress caused his German accent to become even more pronounced, but he managed to take the scare in relative stride before smiling at the siblings.

Yakko narrowed his eyes, analyzing the psychiatrist in front of him. He opened his mouth to respond, but Dot beat him to it.

“What’s got you so nervous, Scratchy?” Dot jumped down from the railing to land in Dr. Scratchansniff’s arms and gave a grimace when she took a closer look at his face, “You’re all sweaty…”

Dr. Scratchansniff sighed and gently placed Dot on the catwalk, “Kids I have some good news, so I wanted to stop by and tell you-“

“IS IT A SURPRISE PARTY?” All three of the Warner siblings exclaimed at once and suddenly Dr. Scratchansniff had his arms full of three very excited children.

“No…not exactly. How about you three and I take a trip back to my office, there’s someone there I’d like you to meet.” Dr. Scratchansniff hoped his voice was encouraging enough, waiting for their response. He struggled under their weight.

The Warners frowned at the disappointing news of there being no surprise party, but shared a shrug and tumbled out of his arms.

“Okay,” They responded together, giving a nod.

“Okay,” Dr. Scratchansniff repeated, his shoulders relaxing minutely, “Alright, good, let’s go then!”

He cringed at his own awkwardness, but the kids didn’t seem to notice which he was grateful for.

With the que to go, Wakko suddenly called out, “Last one there has to get the Yak off Soundstage 28!”

Instantly Dr. Scratchansniff was alone on the catwalk, a small smile graced his lips, as much of a terror those kids were, he was going to miss them very deeply. He made his way to the ladder and down the water tower. He was taking slow, partly because of the safety hazard but mostly to avoid what was coming.

He reached the bottom of the tower and made his way around the studio lot. Looking around as if he were trying to remember every detail and memory associated with each location. But his procrastination was short lived as he took a turn and spotted the entrance of the psychiatry building. There, at the steps, was the Warners, board of waiting outside for him. Wakko spied him first.

“Finally, we thought you had gotten eaten by a rhino!” He exclaimed. Dot hit him upside the head.

“Don’t be stupid Wakko, Rhinos are herbivores, they don’t eat people.” She criticized

“What’s that?” He asked, rubbing the smarting spot where Dot had hit him. Yakko was giving Dot a stern look when he responded to his younger brother.

“It’s an animal that only eats plants.”

This offended Wakko

“ONLY EATS PLANTS?” His face trembled in shock, “But why would they do that to themselves when there are so many glorious things in the world that could be eaten?”

Dr. Scratchansniff interjected, “To be fair, Wakko, you eat glass and plastic which is not typically considered part of a nutritious diet.”

Wakko stared for a moment before smiling, “Yeah, I guess” he responded before looking away shyly.

Dr. Scratchansniff gave a small smile. If Wakko had given such a response in the 90’s he would have been concerned with the sudden change in mood, but now he knows better. The doctor was finally starting to catch up with the Warner’s antics and it still surprised all of them when he would tease in return. An action that the doctor could have never expected from himself when he first met the children.

‘ _Gosh,’_ He thought, _‘That was so long ago now. Why had it taken me so long to begin to understand these kids?’_

Dr. Scratchansniff shook his head. _‘One problem at a time.’_

He opened the door to his office and the children rushed in to excitedly perch themselves on the chaise lounge, completely ignoring the portly woman in the lobby waiting for them.

Dr. Scratchansniff paid no mind to her either as he gazed fondly at the three kids teasing each other on the chaise lounge waiting for whatever news he had to tell them. He took in the moment, realizing it might be the last good one for a while. All good things must come to an end though, and her voice brought with it that end.

“Dr. Scratchansniff, I see you have finally returned with the children.”

The Warners startled and turned to look at the unfamiliar person in the room with them.

She was short, unassuming, and in her late 20’s. Average looking, not particularly ugly or pretty, just average. She was on the curvier side, wearing a nice-looking pastel pink blazer and matching pencil skirt. All the while holding a medium sized carboard moving box. The woman made her way over to Dr. Scratchansniff’s desk.

“I finished packing away some of your personal books for the trip, they’re in the car.”

“Thank you, Rosa.” Dr. Scratchansniff responded a little nervously. He glanced at the confused looks from the kids.

“Woah, did you get a new assistant Dr. Scratchansniff,” Yakko asked eyeing the women with a certain amount of uncertainty.

“No… Children, this is Dr. Ruth, she will be taking over for me as the new psychiatrist here at the Warner Brother Studios.” It was like pulling off a band-aid, quick but-

“WHAT?” The Warners startled.

-but not painless.

Yakko was the first to get his thoughts in order, “You’re leaving, but why?”

“Are you dying?” Asked Wakko

“Must be, ‘cause your too old to finally decide to retire now,” Dot snarked.

Dr. Scratchansniff sighed, “No, Children, I am not retiring or dying, Dr. Ruth is my temporary replacement while I am away at a conference.”

“A conference? For what?” Wakko leaned forward

Dr. Ruth took this as her time to enter the conversation, “Dr. Scratchansniff had been chosen to contribute his research of Toon psychology to the updated version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the most current version being known as the DSM-5.”

The children simply glared at her. She took it in stride though, “It’s a very great honor, it would be appropriate to congratulate him.”

The children mumbled something that sounded vaguely like a 'congratulations' but was most certainly more of a huff.

Dr. Scratchansniff shifted his weight awkwardly from side to side watching as the kids sat slumped with their arms crossed over their chests.

Dr. Ruth took notice as well and she turned to mummer in Dr. Scratchansniff’s ear, “How about I go and grab some coffee; give you all some time to sort things out.”

Dr. Scratchansniff nodded his appreciation and Dr. Ruth took her leave.

The moment the door was shut the children where on him.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be leaving us with that awful woman!” Exclaimed Dot, gripping on to his right pant leg.

Dr. Scratchansniff was a little surprised at this assumption by Dot. He had thought that Dr. Ruth had only acted professionally in the few moments that they were all in the same room together. But just as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered who he was talking to.

Wakko had mirrored his sister on the opposite leg, but Yakko remained distanced, closer to the chaise lounge.

“She talked to us like we were dumb, like we didn’t know what a D.S manual was,” Yakko complained, pushing out his chest and pointedly looking away from Dr. Scratchansniff.

“Well, I didn’t know what it was,” Muttered Wakko, toeing at something on the carpet and fiddling with his hands. The doctor started to notice that Wakko had begun one of his stims.

For what seemed the hundredth time that day, Dr. Scratchansniff sighed. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

“Children, please, sit back down.” He ushered the children back to the chaise lounge and he knelt in front of them. “You know I care about you kids a great deal, so trust that I wouldn’t leave you in the care of someone I do not fully believe would be good for you. Dr. Ruth was top of her class and one of my best students when I was guest teaching at the university back in 2010. She specializes in Child and a Toon Developmental Psychology and I know that if you just gave her a chance you would come to respect her like I do.”

The was a moment of silence between them as the information sunk in. Dr. Scratchansniff prayed silently to any god that might be listening that the Warners wouldn’t cause too much of an upset. Yakko, on the other hand, was has having very different thoughts.

“Why couldn’t you get Hello Nurse to come back, she at least was pretty to look at.” Yakko sneered.

Dr. Scratchansniff was momently shocked by the comment, but yet found that he was not all that surprised with the hostility in Yakko’s voice.

“Yakko, that is an incredibly rude and hurtful thing to say about, not only Heloise Nerz, but a woman that you haven't even gotten the chance to know.” Dr. Scratchansniff reprimanded, looking him sternly in the eyes.

Yakko had the decency to look abashed and muttered an apology, looking away embarrassed. But it was obvious that that tension room was still incredibly high.

“Look, children, I understand this is a sudden change and that you are a bit confused and upset. That being said, please, for me, at least give Dr. Ruth a chance.” Dr. Scratchansniff pleaded with the siblings, gathering their gloved hands into his. They looked into his eyes before looking amongst themselves. Silent communication seemed to pass between them and the Warners slowly nodded.

Suddenly a knock came from outside the office.

“Come in” Dr. Scratchansniff called, getting up with a groan and moving towards the door. Dr. Ruth came in holding a caddy full of drinks.

“I made a coffee stop,” She told the room, “I thought that maybe you kids would like some hot chocolate. Chocolate always makes things better in my opinion.”

The Warners couldn’t help but positively react to the treat of hot chocolate before remembering that they were supposed to hate this woman who was taking Dr. Scratchansniff away.

“We’re allergic,” Dot sniffed, sitting up straight and looking away from her. The boys took on similar positions and voiced their agreement. Dr. Scratchansniff turned to whispered in Dr. Ruth's ear. “No, they’re not, they love hot chocolate, they’re just…”

“They’re just kids who are struggling to adapt to a sudden change in their world.” She smiled and sat the coffee caddy down on the desk, took out one of the drinks and handed it to Dr. Scratchansniff. Three hot chocolates remained.

“I understand what’s going on, Doctor, its going to take a lot more than that to get under my skin.” Suddenly a beeping came from both Dr. Ruth’s and Dr. Scratchansniff’s watches.

“That’s the reminder for your flight,” That got the kids attentions and of course another swell of panic arose.

“You’re leaving now, but…but” For the first time that Yakko could remember he was genuinely at a loss for words. His siblings seemed to be in a similar stupor.

“Unfortunately, yes, I only found out yesterday evening that my paper had been accepted and that I was going on the trip.” Dr. Scratchansniff approached the kids again enveloping all of them into a hug. “I shouldn’t be gone too long, please try your best to be nice to Dr. Ruth. I will be very disappointed in you three if I found out you were unfairly rude to her. Do you promise?” Dr. Scratchansniff looked them in their eyes. A moment’s hesitation and all three siblings reluctantly gave their agreements.

Dr. Ruth moved to the desk and picked up the caddy. Slowly but with confidence she made her way over to the chaise lounge and set it down next to the Warner siblings. “Maybe if you don’t want them you can give them to some friends of yours.” She turned to Dr. Scratchansniff, “I’ll be in the car.” And then took her leave, the Warners side eyeing her until she was no longer in sight. The siblings stared at the caddy suddenly feeling no interest in the chocolatey goodness beside them.

Dr. Scratchansniff groaned as he went to stand, moving away from the children that he had come to care so much for. “Come now children, I know you three have Set today and you shouldn’t be late.” He made movements to usher them out of the office.

The Warners dragged themselves off the chaise lounge and moved towards the door, the doctor following closely behind, leading them out of the building. Each step for the party was painful and several times Dr. Scratchansniff had to almost push them along.

The kids turned to look at the doctor when they finally stopped at the bottom of the front staircase. A beat and then Wakko was clutching Dr. Scratchansniff’s legs, Dot was close behind. No words were said but Dr. Scratchansniff leaned down and embraced the youngest siblings. He looked up to see Yakko having turned away awkwardly, his body language coming off as closed and anxious.

 _‘That wouldn’t do.’_ The Doctor thought. “One last hug?” He asked, his voice embarrassingly small.

Yakko looked at him, uncertainty caused his eyebrows to scrunch up. Though, after a moment, he relented and moved to join his siblings in embracing the only other person on the WB lot that ever seemed to care about them.

They were all huddled like that for several minutes, neither party wanting to break the moment. But suddenly Dr. Scratchansniff’s watched buzzed again and he was forced to pull away.

“Remember, I will not be gone forever and if you ever need me you have my cell phone number.”

And with that Dr. Scratchansniff gave his last parting goodbye and made his was back into the office to pick up his remaining stuff to go to the airport.

The Warners were left where they stood, staring after him long after the door had blocked their line of sight.

“Alright, Sibs, we have Set to go to.” Yakko’s voice was tight as he steered his siblings away from the Psychiatry office, deeper into the Warner Brothers movie lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I haven’t written fanfiction in like 7 years, but the reboot and my Abnormal Psychology class hit me over the head and demanded that I give this a go. This story is written in individual chapter snapshots of the lives of the Warners on the Warner Brothers lot and done so in an attempt to explore the different physiologies of actors and child stars in the Industry. Lots of Hurt/ Comfort, Angst and Fluff ahead, so please join me on this ride of using the DSM-5 to over psychoanalyze fictional characters.


	2. Panic Now, Coffee Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nature vs. Nurture; a question that has afflicted and will continue to afflict all of humanity. But where does that leave Toons? If their creators can’t figure out such a concept, how could a Toon ever hope to do so?
> 
> Yakko looks towards his sleeping siblings from across the water tower.
> 
> His Design dictated that he was a silly, 14-year-old who ran around causing mayhem with his two younger sibs, but sometimes Yakko didn’t feel like his Design matched him anymore. The eldest Warner shook his head.
> 
> ‘There’s no use getting conspiratorial,’ He thought to himself. After all, he is a character that was Designed without Development.

Chapter 2: Panic Now, Coffee Later

* * *

Panic!

Yakko’s eyes shot open as he took in his surroundings.

_‘Where are they?’_ The eldest Warner stilled, ears high and listening for something specific.

Silence.

And then… _’There!’_

His shoulders relaxed when he heard Dot’s soft snores and Wakko shifting in his hammock.

_‘Yes,’_ He breathed a sigh of relief, _‘They’re still there. Everything’s OK…’_

Yakko groaned as he sat up in his bed. Well, _‘bed’_ was a bit of an over statement. That is, of course, dependent on how you would refer to the ball pit, contained in inflated kiddie pool, that Yakko slept in.

He stretched, rubbed his aching back and thought that perhaps _‘slept’_ was another over statement. He had shut his eyes, but he never really fell asleep. Bad things would happen if he slept.

Gingerly he clamored out of the kiddie pool, a few stray plastic-colored balls falling out with him. It was only due to practice that he managed not to slip on any of them, even in his dazed state, as he made his way to the kitchen. Yakko glanced at the clock on the microwave, taking in the time.

5:30

He shrugged, _‘Better than yesterday.’_ He thought to himself, and he went about the memorized motions of making a pot of coffee. Putting in the cheap coffee filter, and then the instant coffee ground mix, was done efficiently and without much care or notice. After he turned on the pot, letting the water begin to heat up, he moved to the fridge. There wasn’t much. Milk, a few eggs, butter and some carrots.

Well, he didn’t think he could stomach anything anyway.

Yakko’s ears perked when he heard the tell-tell sounds of coffee dripping into a mug. He glanced at it. He didn’t remember taking the mug down from the cabinet, but found himself smiling at it none the less. It was one of his favorites, a gift that Dot and Wakko had worked on in between set for _‘Wakko’s Wish’_. It had a been a craft activity that the Studio was providing to entertain the children during the long off times between filming. It was a simple cream mug, with a crude painting of all three of them holding hands. Above the three figures was written in Dots’ fuchsia, messy cursive,

_‘We loVe yOu YaKKo!’_

The coffee finished pouring and Yakko took the mug into his gloved hands, relishing in the warmth for a moment, before taking a closer look at the picture. A small laugh bubbled out of his chest when he took notice of the blue tails behind each of them. Wakko said he had accidentally forgotten the tails when he was initially drawing the picture, and by the time they had noticed the mistake, the craft table had run out of black paint. Yakko remembers that his Sibs were so concerned that he would hate it because of the error, but in reality, he loved it even more. It was so… _them_. Well-intentioned, but slightly chaotic, even when not trying to be. The best part though, was that it made him laugh every time he saw it.

Yakko took a sip, the warm bitter liquid coursing through his body. He paid no mind to it though as he reminisced in old memories, lazily looking around the water tower.

Panic!

He hadn’t been paying attention, lost in his memories.

_‘Where are they?’_ Yakko stilled, his heart right along with him, ears high and listening for something specific.

Dot’s soft snores.

Wakko shifting in his hammock.

_‘Yes,’_ He breathed a sigh of relief, _‘They’re still there.’_

Yakko paused, his face twisting up.

‘ _Of course, they’re still there,’_ He scolded himself, _‘Where else would they be, Idiot.’_

His own condescension did nothing to steady his racing heart though. It still pounded against his rib cage and he felt as though he were on the verge of a heart attack.

_‘I can’t have one of those, right? They wouldn’t design a Toon like that, would they?’_

Soon, the ache became too much, and Yakko had to set the mug on the bar countertop so he could rub over where it felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. It only eased the pain slightly.

Several moments passed, how many, Yakko couldn’t tell. But eventually the feeling of panic began to morph into something else, into frustration.

_‘Why am I like this?’_ He pleaded to himself, moving his hands so they could grip at the fur tufted on his head. _‘They’re fine, I’m fine! Why…why?’_

Yakko couldn’t think, it was too early, he was too wired, and the coffee…

_‘Yes, the coffee.’_ He was drinking coffee. He liked it, didn’t he? _‘I can’t remember.’_

He picked up the mug, _‘My favorite mug,’_ and looked at its’ contents. It was half gone already. That meant he drink it, _‘Right?’_ That he liked it. _‘So why can’t I remember what it tastes like?’_

Yakko took a sip, _‘Ah, yes, this is what it tastes like, like coffee.’_ He remembers now. _‘Coffee tastes like coffee; how could I forget?’_

Panic!

Stillness.

Listening.

Snores and shuffling.

Relief.

Yakko looked down at his mug, it was empty. He stared at the bottom longer than may have been normal.

“Yakko? I’m hungry.”

The eldest startled, the mug that had long since gone cold, flew from his hands. Yakko found himself only staring in horror as it plummeted to the ground.

_‘It was going to break, it’s all going to-!’_

A small, gloved hand snatched the handle, cradling the mug to their chest.

Wakko stood, looking guiltily at his older brother. The beloved mug still held closely and in one piece.

“Sorry Yakko, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Came Wakko’s soft voice, the middle sibling tried to hand the mug back.

Yakko blinked, and something in his brain clicked.

Shifted.

Wakko was here, he needed something. _‘Food? Yes food, I need to feed Wakko.’_

Yakko donned his signature goofy smile. After all, he knew this role, this was an easy line for him to perform.

“Of course, Sib!” He gave a tense chuckle, “And don’t worry about it, I was just lost in my thoughts for a second there.” Yakko jumped out of the chair, making his way to the fridge. “What would you like?”

Wakko stood awkwardly to the side, still holding the lovingly made craft in his hand. But Yakko wasn’t paying attention. His head was in the fridge, shuffling things around.

Milk

A few eggs

Butter

And some carrots.

_‘I can make omelettes?’_ Yakko glanced at the counter and took note of the half loaf of bread. _‘OK, yeah, eggs and toast. I can do that.’_

Yakko took out the carton of eggs, shut the fridge and grabbed the bag of bread on the way to the stove top. He found that he was a little surprised that Wakko was up this early. Even for food, Wakko was rarely up before 8:00.

“How does an omelette and toast sound, Sib?” Yakko called out behind him, reaching above to get the pan from in the cabinet. His eyes glanced over the time on the microwave.

8:30

_‘Wait…what?!’_

Yakko started at the clock, his arm hanging midair, still reaching for the pan.

_‘8:30?’_ Yakko spun to face Wakko who had sat himself where eldest had been earlier.

The younger brother looked at Yakko with his head cocked to the side, their small tongue blepping out. Yakko would have found the position endearing if not for the swell of panic that gripped at him.

_‘How have I lost track of so much time? What happened between 5:30 and-‘_

Wakko’s voice cut through, preventing Yakko from spiraling again.

“That sounds faboo.” Wakko’s voice inflection didn’t match the enthusiasm of their vocabulary. It was soft and slightly confused. He took a moment to observe their older brother. Yakko was fidgety and kept glancing around the tower as if something was going to jump out and attack them. Wakko found himself growing anxious in response, unknowingly picking up on ques from his elder sibling. 

Yakko didn’t say anything, he instead stiffly turned back to the stove and began preparing the food. It was a good distraction from the feeling that he was losing his mind. Yakko stared at the sizzling egg as it cooked.

_‘I’m getting worse,’_ He admitted to himself, _‘But what does that even mean?’_

Yakko looked away from the eggs for a moment to glance at his brother. Wakko wasn’t looking back at him and instead choose to fiddle with his hands, flapping them every so often.

Yakko looked away.

_‘What if I can’t keep it together and the studio finds out? What would they do to the Sibs? Would they Redesign me?’_

Fear clouded his vision for a moment. A Redesign would mean he wouldn’t remember his Siblings, at least, not really.

A Redesign is always based on the original Show Bible. Animators didn’t have time to come up with a new concept while filming was going on, after all. So, if the studio found out about his little _problem_ , he would definitely be taken back to his Original Design.

‘ _What would the Sibs do?’_ They depended on him to keep them safe and taken care of. If he were Redesigned, it would be like being locked in the tower for the first time all over again.

Yakko shuddered.

The egg was ready. So, on to the plate went two slices of bread and the eggs. He took it over to Wakko and set it on the bar top in front of him.

“Here you go, Kiddo. I’m feeling at little…tired, so I’m going to crash on the couch. If you are still hungry there’s carrots in the fridge.” Yakko’s voice was glazed as he spoke, feet dragging as he moved past his brother. A gloved hand moved to absent mindedly tussle Wakko’s hair, pushing up his red cap.

Yakko made his way to the living room, flopping on to the couch and promptly closing his eyes.

Not sleeping, just resting.

He can’t afford to fall asleep.

Wakko stared after their brother, adjusting his hat, and then looked at the plate that was placed in front of him. The promised omelette and toast was a single burnt fried egg and two slices of very untoasted pieces of bread. Wakko didn’t mind _per se,_ he wasn’t that picky of an eater but-

They looked back at where their brother was obscured by the back of the sofa.

“Yakko is not OK.”

Wakko looked back at the plate of food and slowly began picking at his unusual breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here is the introduction to Yakko’s case study! As you can tell, I’m not used to writing a case study in a fictional, world building, setting. That being said, I hope it was somewhat “artsy”. Those of you who are interested in the Psychological Theory behind this story, I would encourage you to take some time and point out some of Yakko’s Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms. Some of them are more stereotypical, while others might be a little more difficult to see without some education on the subject. 
> 
> Wakko also gets a little introduction to his case study. Don’t worry he’ll get his own chapter, and then some, to explore their thought processes. Lastly, these case studies are going to be done in two parts. One part being the introspective view that a character has on their own situation. Thus, a lot of confusion and ignorance of what's going on. Then the second part of the case study will be explored when Dr. Ruth has had a chance to work through some of these issues with the characters themselves. 
> 
> Lastly, and most importantly, do not try and diagnose these characters prematurely. I know ya’lls fanfiction, theorist minds are whirling, but one of the biggest mistakes that a Psychiatrist can make when they are evaluating a case study, is Confirmation Bias. If you prematurely diagnose a patient, you might ignore key symptoms that point to an entirely different diagnosis than the one you had in mind. The last thing you want to do is accidentally diagnose a patient with Schizophrenia when all along they had PTSD. Thanks for reading!


	3. A Good Day

Chapter 3: A Good Day

* * *

_‘Today is a good day.’_

The smell of waffles wafted from the small kitchen and Dot could hear Wakko giggle at something Yakko had said. She slowly made her way down from the top bunk, letting the wonderful aroma practically carry her to the peninsula. She sat herself down next to the middle Warner sibling. 

“Good morning, Pincess!” Yakko teased her, his head turned over his shoulder while he was still facing towards the waffle maker.

Normally she would have despised the use of that particular nickname, but the smile that reached Yakko’s eyes, and the smothered laugh from Wakko beside her, caused the youngest Warner to fill with warmth. So, instead, she just rolled her eyes in response. That being said, she was no push over.

Deciding to enact a bit of revenge, she reached over and jokingly took Wakko’s napkin to ball it up and throw it at their eldest brother.

“It’s _Dot_ , don’t wear it out.” She snarked.

Yakko laughed and caught the projectile before it could collide with his head, placing it back beside Wakko as he set down a large stack of waffles between his two younger siblings. 

“Alright, dig in you two. Call time is at 10:00 and we don’t want to be late again today.”

Both Dot and Wakko nodded in acknowledgement before simultaneously diving for the plate of food. Wakko beat her, he always did. But before he could swallow all the waffles down whole, Yakko reached out and stopped him. Snagging two Waffles from the top and passing them to Dot.

She smiled at him gratefully and then teasingly turned towards Wakko to stick her tongue out at them. Wakko ignored her, instead choosing to focus all his attention on the glorious breakfast before him.

Dot looked back at her own plate of food. Waffles was one of her favorites.

_‘Maybe this morning I can just have one and skip lunch later.’_ Dot nodded to herself; it was easier to say she forgot about lunch than avoiding eating right now. 

She didn’t want Yakko on her case today.

_‘Today was a good day.’_

Later, Dot found herself sitting in a black salon chair in front of a large mirror. Sally, a makeup stylist Dot has known since the 90s, applied foundation to the young Toon’s face. It was about 30 minutes before set was supposed to start and Dot found herself cramming lines. She told Yakko that she had memorized them last night, but she only said that so that she could get extra hour of TV before bedtime. Now she was regretting that decision.

Dot sighed, ‘ _This line doesn’t make any sense.’_

She flipped to the top of the script and read over the segment title.

_‘A Hobbit, a Wizard and a Wardrobe.’_

Yakko told them that it was a parody of some movies that had come out after of their Cancellation, and he promised that they would get around to seeing them all together when Filming Season ended. Though, to be honest, she didn’t know if she wanted to see them with how awful this script was. She flipped through the pages again, a directors’ note stuck out. She scoffed.

“Sally, look at this! They want me to climb into some cramped amour and change the scenery all in one take! I’m a professional, but my goodness, how are we supposed to film this?” Dot complained.

“Oh, I know, Honey. Did you see that they’re having Wakko do an entire scene in a volcano? Makeup is just going running down their face, we’re going to have to stop every five seconds just to fix it…and not to mention the heat!” The Stylist lamented, sharing in Dot’s grief.

Dot cringed. She had, in fact, heard about that scene.

Yakko had yelled at a producer about it for serval hours the other day. The eldest was not thrilled.

Yakko didn’t understand why they were going through this whole debacle all over again. They had this issue back in the 90s with the Satan skit, so why did the produces just expect Wakko to have ‘gotten over it’ since then?

Dot never said anything, but it always kind of confused her. Sure, the set was hot and annoying but Wakko’s reaction to it always just seemed like he was… _overreacting_. That being said, she held her tongue. Deep down she felt like she might be missing something important about the situation. 

In general, Dot appreciated how attentive Yakko was when it came addressing sets pieces that were uncomfortable. He was pretty quick to notice when either her or Wakko were having an off day. Usually Yakko ‘talked the talk’ to re-work scheduling or the inherent nature of the scene. But, apparently, the writers were not willing to make an exception in this particular instance.

Well, Wakko wasn’t filming that scene until tomorrow anyway. They can worry about it then. 

“There! Don’t you just look precious!” Sally spun Dot around in the salon chair to let her step out and stretch. Dot made her way over to a full-length mirror across the room.

She stared.

_‘Not good enough, but it’s not Sally’s fault.’_

Dot looked away from her reflection and back at the stylist. “Thanks, Sally. You’re a Wiz, y’know?” Dot’s voice must have sounded off because Sally leaned down to place a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, Sweetcakes, don’t worry about the scene today. I’m sure it will all work out splendidly!” The stylist gave a warm smile before straightening out and moving back over to the vanity to begin cleaning up. “See you on set for touch ups!” she called out behind her and Dot took her leave.

Making her way out of Costuming, she began the short trek to Soundstage 10. Rounding the conner so she could see the entrance. It was then that she spotted a young production assistant outside the door.

The PA was wearing the customary all black attire with their blonde hair tied up in a low ponytail. They fiddled with their walkie-talkie system. 

Dot didn’t recognize them and figured they must be new to the Animaniacs project. Her heart sped up.

‘ _What if they don’t like me?’_

Clutching her script, she walked up to the PA.

“Excuse me? Has the director arrived yet? I need to speak to him.” Dot asked sweetly, batting her eyes. It was a reflex at the point to appear as non-threating as possible. If they don’t like her, they might say something to the studio. Especially if they’re Humans.

She can’t be the reason that they got Cancelled for a second time.

The PA startled, looking up from their fiddling. Their eyes widened in nervousness when they realized just who was in front of them. “Miss Warner! Umm- Of course, I apologize, let me check to see if he is still on set.” The PA reached back for their walkie-talkie, but Dot stopped them.

“Oh, no, that’s ok! I’ll see him eventually; you don’t have to check. Thank you for your help!” Dot quickly scooted past the PA into the soundstage. Behind her the door closed and she felt her shoulders relax.

_‘That went well....’_

Dot took a look around the set. A myriad of cast and crew were setting things up around the Victorian style set piece. In the center, was the wardrobe. Dot sneered.

_‘Maybe I can convince Yakko to help me practice the scene real quick.’_

“I don’t care that it’s an iconic scene; find a stand-in!”

_‘Speak of the devil.’_ Dots head turned to face the loud outburst.

Yakko was leaning over a young man in a cheap gray suit who looked as though her brother was threating to gut him alive. She didn’t recognize ‘Suit Man’ but his clothes looked like he was unlikely to be a producer. Dot made her way closer to the two.

“Mr. Warner, please understand that I have already gone to the studio about these issues and they don’t see why Wakko cannot just stand there for a few moments while he does his lines.” ‘Suit Man’ took a step back, attempting to place distance between him and Yakko. “I’m sorry Mr. Warner, I really am. But without some kind of formal diagnosis the studio doesn’t think they should have to make accommodations.”

Yakko sneered and turned away from the man, muttering. He walked back behind set until Dot couldn’t see him anymore. Definitively ending the conversation.

‘Suit Man’ sighed as he straightened and dusted off invisible lent from his lapel. He looked after where Yakko had stormed off and shook his head. Sluggishly he reached down to pick up a small briefcase before turning towards Dots direction.

He hadn’t been paying attention, eyes cast to the floor. Dot was worried for a moment that he might run over her. But, just at the last second, ‘Suit Man’ startled and jumped back.

“Miss. Warner! I apologize, I didn’t see you there.” He shakily held out his hand toward her. Dot took it, but only because it was a social nicety.

“Who are you?” _‘Oops, that was a little blunt,’_ “I mean, I haven’t seen you around before. Are you a producer?” ‘ _That was better.’_

The man gave a stilted laugh, “Oh, no. I’m studying Law and I’m interning here at the studios. Right now they have me running errands for Toon cases.”

“Is that why you talking to my brother?”

A strange look came over the man’s face. “Look, Miss. Warner, your brother is doing his best. Unfortunately, with you being wards of the studio, there's not much I-we can do.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small card. “I don’t have my own business card yet, but here is the number to the Law department. Ask for Billy Rodgers.” And with that he walked past her, exiting the soundstage.

Dot stared at the card for a moment, thinking.

_‘What was Yakko doing getting lawyers involved in_ _Wakko's behavior problems?’_ Anger began to brew. _‘If they complained too much, a human might get fed up with them and demand their Cancellation. Didn’t her brothers realize how hard she was trying to not mess things up again, why weren’t they doing the same?’_

“Dot!”

Dot’s head shot up, her thoughts temporally stalled.

Scott O'Brien was waving her over with a smile on his face.

The director was nice enough, as far as Dot could tell. He was a new attention to the reboot team and from the few projects that they had worked on together he seemed to be kind.

For a Human.

Dot made her way over to him, gipping at the script. “Hey, Mr. O’Brien! I was wondering-“

“-about the wardrobe scene, right?”

Dot gave a small nod.

He just grinned, “Don’t worry about it. We have a great solution! We hired a TPA to do the scene change for you.”

“Really?” Dot was a little surprised. Toon Production Assistants were pretty rare, it wasn’t often that studios would keep Toons around long enough for them to need jobs outside of filming their own cartoons. It also wasn’t often that Humans choose to work with Toons if they had the option. Dot remembered when she saw the first one walking around the set of _Wakko’s Wish_. An embroidered, neon-green patch with a picture an ink well placed on their upper arms to designate their status.

“Yep! How about we run through it one time so that you and the TPA can get the timing just right?” The director gestured towards the set where Dot saw a very familiar face with a neon green patch on their upper arm.

“Pebbles?”

The young women, with red hair styled into a high ponytail, looked up at the sound of her name. She quickly made eye contact with the youngest Warner.

Pebbles Flintstone’s face lit up and she sprinted over.

“Oh my goodness, Dot! It’s so nice to see you again! When I got offered this job, I just knew I couldn’t pass it up! Isn’t it just radical that we get to work on a project together?” Pebbles asked

Dot was in a bit of shock. _‘Pebbles, a TPA?’_ Dot hadn’t seen Peebles since the 70s when they had been let out briefly for fumigation. The young Flintstone hadn’t hardly changed at all since her role in _The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show_. That being said, she did look just slightly older. There were creases around her eyes from smiling that hadn’t been there back in the 70s.

_‘Wait, I need to respond,’_ “Yeah, this is great!” and Dot found she was genuinely pleased. “When did you become a TPA?”

“Daddy wanted me to go to the Looniversity when Hannah-Barbara got acquired by Warner Brothers in ‘01. Turns out I’m really skilled in Hammerspace and sight gags!” Pebbles shily toed at the floor. “I mean I never thought that my Design would have allowed for something like that, but I guess a little Zany got mixed into my Ink.”

Dot felt something ugly inside of her begun to fester. _‘How come Warner Brother didn’t put her into Suspended Animation? Why is she better than me? It’s because she looks human.’_

“I’ve worked with Mrs. Flintstone on many projects. She’s is very good at what she does, and I knew the moment that I read the script for this episode she was just what we needed.” Scott O'Brien said.

_‘Oh, right, he was here.’_

“Well, that’s great Pebbles, let’s get started then.” Dot tried to sound encouraging, she supposed it worked because neither Pebbles nor Mr. O'Brien said anything.

“Alright! Rehearsal on set, non-essentials please make your way behind the cameras!” Scott called out and Pebbles gapped Dot’s hand, dragging her to the tall wardrobe.

“So, what we’re going to do is have you climb into the wardrobe. Then, while you’re in there, spin it around so that you can exit through the hatch in the back. By the time you come out, I will have changed the scenery!” Pebbles moved to show Dot how the furniture piece was going to spin. “But it might take a moment, so just hang out in the wardrobe for a tic so I can make the change. 

“Gotcha, in and out, no big deal.” Dot turned to face back towards where Scott was siting and noticed Yakko and Wakko beside him, making small talk. Dot ignored them. _‘I have a job to do.’_

She took notice of the camera placement and angled herself accordingly. Years of acting lessons and working experience made the motion almost thoughtless. She nodded toward the director to give the que that she was ready.

“Alright, quiet on set! Lights, Camera…”

“Action!” _‘Action!’_

Dot began her lines.

“Seriously, the only thing in the massive room is some danky old closet? There better be a dead body in this thing for all it’s worth.” Dot moved towards the doors of the Wardrobe and opened them slowly.

Clothes.

Gingerly she pushed herself into the piece, the doors closing behind her.

Darkness.

All of a sudden Dot couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. The clothing surrounding her on all sides and-

_‘Where are they? Why can I move? Why is it so dark? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to!_

_I’ll be good this time!_

_I promise!_

_I’ll be good-’_

“CUT!”

Suddenly the doors to the wardrobe opened and there was Pebbles concerned face.

“Hey, why didn’t you climb out the back?” The redhead asked confusedly.

“I-I” Dot still couldn’t breathe. “I’m sorry I just- I need a moment”

She shot out of the wardrobe, shoving past Pebbles to the opposite side of the Soundstage into one of the bathrooms. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it.

Shakily Dot moved towards to bathroom mirror, looking into her own eyes, “C’mon, Dot, get over yourself! You’re not back _there_ , it’s just one dumb scene.”

A knock resonated through the bathroom and then came a familiar voice.

“Dot? Is everything ok?”

_‘Yakko!’_

Dot shot over to the door, flinging it open to find the concerned elder Warner on the other side.

“Oh, yeah! I’m fine, I just had a…um potty emergency!” Dot said, giving him her best smile.

Yakko didn’t buy it.

He tilted his head to give her a look and opened his mouth to respond, but Dot pushed past him. Stopping him before he could do so.

“Sorry, Bro! Can’t talk, we’re running behind!” She spotted Scott O'Brien talking to Pebbles and Dot quickly made her way up to them.

“Sorry about that. Let’s try this one more time.” She said quickly, practically pulling Pebbles back to set. She spotted Yakko coming up to stand on the opposite side of the camera from O’Brien. He was watching her intently. She couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Um, ok? Quiet on set, let do this one more time!”

Dot made her way to her spot and watched as Pebbles got positioned to make the set change.

_‘I can do this. Just climb through the wardrobe._ ’

“Stand by: Lights, Camera…”

BEEEEEEEP!!!!

The Set froze.

BEEEEEEEP!!!!

Her brothers were beside her.

BEEEEEEEP!!!!

_‘How did they get here so quickly?’_

BEEEEEEEP!!!!

_‘This was it.’_

Silence.

A PA moved to the center of the soundstage.

“Warner Brothers Studios have just received news that Ducktales 2017 has been officially cancelled by Disney Animation Studios.”

No one said anything.

Humans awkwardly shifted and Dot felt tears prick at her eyes. There was relief but at the same time she found that she was still expecting them to say ‘SIKE’ and take her away again.

Suddenly Dot was in the middle of a snowy field, on location, in the middle of Canada. The echoes of The Alarm resonated in the empty scape. A Director laughed and told her she deserved it.

Yakko placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly, effectively pulling her out of the memory.

The PA looked towards the director, completely ignoring the main Toon cast. “Should I instruct cast and crew to continue with filming?”

Dot felt the rumble from Yakko’s chest more than she heard it. In the end though, she wasn’t surprised by the complete disregard the PA displayed. After all, they were Human.

_‘They didn’t understand; how could they? When a show got Cancelled it wasn’t a matter of life or death for them.’_

Finally, Dot looked at Scott O’Brien. He had a strange look on his face, one that she didn’t typically see on a Human’s. It was the kind of face that told her that he understood the significance of what had just been announced.

They made eye contact.

Mr. O’Brien sighed and stood up from his chair, “I think that today is not a good day to film. I’m not really feeling the creative process and all that. Go be with your family.”

Dot knew that, technically, he was addressing the entire cast and crew. But, in that moment, it was as though he was speaking only to her.

With a rise of clatter, the set came to life again. People preparing to pack and head home early. But Dot couldn’t move.

Distantly, despite his close proximity, Dot heard Yakko’s voice talking to someone. She couldn’t see who it was though.

She couldn’t really see anything; it was all a blur.

_‘Are we ok?’_ She didn’t know.

A hand slipped into hers and Dot startled. Her head snapped to face its owner.

Wakko had his eyes down and Dot realized that he was holding on to her hand almost like a lifeline. She gripped on to him just as tight.

But then they we’re moving. Dot felt like she was sprinting trying to keep up. Yakko had taken Wakko’s hand and now, linked as a chain, they hurried out of the soundstage. 

‘ _We’re running; did they change their mind? Are they after us?’_ She didn’t understand; nothing was making any sense right now.

Dot couldn’t take it anymore.

“NO!” She screamed, _‘They’re going to hurt me; take me away from my brothers!’_

She couldn’t go back, _‘Why wasn’t I good enough?’_

Yakko was saying something; they had stopped _‘Why? Aren’t we on the run?’_

A set of hands were suddenly incasing her arms and she couldn’t move. Another scream ripped from her throat. _‘They are taking me away!’_

“Yakko!” ‘ _Where are my brothers?’_

Then, in blinding clarity, Yakko was kneeling in front of her. It was his hands gripping her arms, attempting to keep her still. He was still talking, his eyes looked panicked, but she couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t hear anything. All she could see was his face.

And then…fatigue.

She was tired now and found she couldn’t fight anymore. _‘Was she safe?’_

Collapsing into his chest, Dot felt as Yakko’s arms moved to position her into a cradle.

With one last thought, Dot’s world went dark.

_‘Today was a bad day.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note:
> 
> OK, so… this one turned out way longer than originally intended. Apparently, I was inspired and decided to set up lore. Dot is obviously experiencing a lot right now, and she kind of comes in and out of it randomly. I would encourage you to take note of how similar, and how different, her reactions to stressors are compared to Yakko’s in the previous chapter. Of course, like I stated in the previous authors note, the things that we're seeing in each one of these chapters will be properly explained later, but this is a good place to start when it comes to differentiating how different people process and cope with trauma. 
> 
> The next chapter will be in Wakko’s POV and then a continuation of what's going on with Dr. Ruth. There is an explanation of why she hasn't been in these last few chapters. I really appreciate of ya’lls comments, and if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them for you. Thank you for reading!


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